


Her Weakness

by marmolady



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Choices, Choices: Stories You Play - Freeform, F/F, Playchoices - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 13:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19063216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolady/pseuds/marmolady
Summary: Set during Book 1. The sudden storm…an empty resort… sightings of a hulking beast… but there’s only one mystery Estela is struggling to cope with… and that’s the pretty blonde, the one whose photograph was attached to her mother’s note. Who or what is Taylor? Might she just be Estela’s undoing?





	Her Weakness

_“L,_

_There’s a second Omega Specimen. Whatever it takes, we have to make sure Rourke doesn’t get his hands on her._

_-O.”_

Estela thought she felt her heart stop when she looked at the photograph clipped behind the note. It was… Taylor.  _Taylor?_

_…we have to make sure Rourke doesn’t get his hands on her._

She traced her fingers over her mother’s handwriting, the bittersweet familiarity making her heart ache.

“He won’t, Mom. I promise.”

Omega Specimen… what did that even mean? Was this… could it be why Estela had been having those…  _feelings_ around Taylor? Estela simply  _didn’t_ get distracted. She had a job to do; she had to be ruthless, focussed. It came easily to her, it was how she’d gotten this far. Whatever this… this unwanted bond she felt with the mysterious blonde, it had to mean something. What had her mom known about Taylor?

She stared at the photograph. Those eyes… like the ocean. They’d held her gaze. Most people tended to avoid looking Estela in the eye, finding her unnerving. But Taylor had looked right back, and some sort of connection fired up between them. And it happened again. Estela realised that she  _wanted_ to keep Taylor safe, far more than she’d dare admit to herself. That meant keeping her distance. Whoever Taylor was,  _whatever_ she was, Estela would never let Rourke get hold of her. Now, it was personal.

_Taylor… who are you?_

* * *

 

For a little while, Estela managed to stay out of Taylor’s way. It was for the best. Something about her had gotten under her skin  _bad_ , and it was the last thing she needed. Through it all, she kept the note and photograph tucked away in her hoodie, held close to her always. Taylor had joined a group out to find the emergency shelter, hoping to at last find answers. Estela might have come along, anything to find some clue to Rourke’s whereabouts, but she knew better than to think her presence would do anything but bring danger. It was simply who she was. No. Taylor would go, find the hotel guests, and get back to the happy vacation she’d come here for. And Estela would be free to carry on with her mission, hopefully with new knowledge of Rourke’s whereabouts.

That was the plan, at least until the message piped out through speakers in every room in the hotel. There was no one. The beast that Taylor had seen on the first night had attacked, and was hunting them down. The whole group would leave, and they were to meet at the hangar, ready to get off the island quick-smart. Disappointed though she was that Rourke’s location remained a mystery, Estela was nonetheless relieved. Not much longer, and the other students would be out of her hair. No one to ask questions, to give her a suspicious side-eye. No one to tempt her into vulnerability. No Taylor. Her mother’s wish to keep the second Omega Specimen -whatever  _that_ meant- safe from Rourke, would be fulfilled. One promise kept, one more to go.

Estela brought up the rear as the group from the hotel made their way through the thick greenery towards the hangar and their ticket home. From the back, she could most effectively keep an eye on potential danger that could befall the students. They were stumbling through the forest hot, sweaty and rather clumsily, clearly not used to difficult terrain, but as yet no sign of dangerous animals. She only had to growl at Raj one time for him to get the message to keep his voice down. Craig was sulking just enough that he was actually shutting up for a change. Whether the group was more nervous of dangerous beasts lurking in the forest, or of Estela herself, she wasn’t sure, but neither did she care. If being scared of her meant they kept their wits about them, she’d take it.

Suddenly, she froze. Something was coming. She motioned to Michelle, who was leading the trail, to hold still and keep quiet. But not fast enough. Someone burst through the undergrowth and-  _smack!_ – punched Michelle in the face, met with a furious shout. And there she was.

Of course, it had to be her. As Estela might have expected, Taylor was still the only person around here who seemed to take the dangers seriously. That she had no hesitation in defending herself would serve her well. That girl had a good head on her shoulders, and Estela couldn’t help but like her. It didn’t  _mean_ anything though… she just… admired her as a person. Nothing more. Or at least, that was what she persistently kept telling herself. As they continued along the trail, reunited as a group, Taylor stuck close to her side, apparently oblivious to the fact that she’d rather avoid her.

“Good, we’re all here. I was beginning to worry we wouldn’t be able to convince everyone to leave the island-“ Taylor began.

Estela spoke bluntly, getting to the point before she rambled any further. “I’m not leaving.”

“Wait, what? Why?”

“…Unfinished business.”

Taylor looked at her, curiosity clear in her eyes. “Listen, Estela, whatever you’re doing here… I want to help.”

Taken aback, Estela searched her face, looking for a hint of what Taylor was up to, what she really wanted with her. But once again, she saw only earnest kindness and an open heart. No ulterior motives, not at all.  _Just wanting to be liked in return_ … well it was certainly fucking working, and it was driving her to distraction.

“You mean that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

Help? For the briefest of moments, Estela could imagine it. To face this with someone by her side, someone genuine and honest… someone who made her heart flutter. But that would only get her killed. Taylor was a good person; she didn’t deserve to be dragged into something like this. At any rate, the further she was away from Rourke, the better… whatever he needed her for, it could only be bad news.

Estela frowned. “Man, you’re stupid. Trust me, you don’t want to get yourself involved. Once you’re in, there’s no way out. So, for your own good, go back to your nice college bubble, live your dreams and be happy. It’s what you’re meant for.”

“I think  _I’ll_ decide what I’m meant for.”

“If only that were true. Now, keep your voice down. There’s a sabretooth after us, remember?”

“You don’t seem surprised at all about that.”

“Nothing surprises me anymore.”

There was a sudden glint in Taylor’s eye. “Not even me?”

 _Dammit, she’s got me._ Estela made a show of rolling her eyes, but couldn’t hold back the smile.  _What the hell is it with this girl?_

She smelt the noxious smoke and fumes before she saw it. As the group emerged from the undergrowth, they were greeted with the sight of black smoke pouring from the hangar, the crackle of flames filling the air. Everyone ran forward, even as the sinking feeling within said that it was already too late. Estela put her back into helping Jake and Sean haul the doors open; the best chance of getting Taylor out of Rourke’s reach was going up in flames, and she couldn’t just let it happen. At first glance through the thick wall of smoke, it was clear that the plane was gone.

And then Taylor ran in, her arm covering her eyes as she pushed through the toxic, billowing clouds. Estela’s eyes grew wide with horror as a line of gasoline bursts into flames, moving toward the plane at impossible speed.

“Taylor!” There was no time to think. Estela threw herself forward, hurling Taylor out of the way, and in the split second after their bodies collided, an ear-shattering eruption of fire and steel shook their world.

“ _Whoa!”_

Through the explosion, Estela shielded Taylor’s body, in the moment feeling nothing else but a blazing need to protect her. As the debris cloud cleared, their eyes met.

“Are you okay?” Estela asked, quickly catching her breath.

The expression on Taylor’s face was one of pure shock. “You could have gotten yourself killed. Why’d you save me?”

In that moment, it dawned on Estela for the first time. What she’d just done. How  _stupid_ she’d…

“I… I honestly don’t know.”

_God, I’ve gotta get out of here._

Before they could even begin to recover from the shock of the plane going up in flames, there before them was the great cat. Estela scrambled to her feet. There was no escape… though if they all ran for it, she could be confident that it wouldn’t be her who get picked off by the beast. Instinctively, her fingers found the knife stashed away in her hoodie, and she glanced towards Taylor, who had fear written all over her face. Then out from the bushes bounded a strange blue fox, yipping a challenge at the sabretooth with utter bravado. Perhaps this could distract the cat for long enough… But then there was a flash of white.  _Ice._ Shooting out from the tiny fox itself. Sending the sabretooth fleeing.

Michelle fainted into Raj’s arms, and Taylor glanced Estela’s way with a dry, rather hysterical laugh.

“You still say nothing surprises you? Because your face says otherwise.”

Recovering quickly, Estela brushed soot and debris from her clothes. “Can you slap her awake?” she asked, looking from Raj to Michelle, who was out cold. “Someone keep hold of the fox. We’ve got to get back to the resort. Fast. It’s fenced in, you’ll be safe.”

She started moving, but everyone else -bar Taylor, as per the norm- seemed to be stunned in place. It was the blonde who took the initiative to smack poor Michelle unceremoniously back to the land of the living.

“Will. You.  _Stop._ Hitting me!”

Taylor stepped back, dodging an angry backhand. “That thing will be back; we’ve gotta move.”

“ _Move!”_ Estela growled, and she broke into a run. This time, the message hit home, and the group took off in a frantic rush.

She led the group up from the airstrip at a furious pace, her impatience building as they puffed and panted behind her. If the other students couldn’t get home, they at least needed to be secure within the gates of the resort. When everyone was at last shut in, and the coast appeared clear, Estela exhaled in relief. She’d done her part now. It was time to leave. There was no way she could focus on what she needed to do if she stayed there… not with that kind of distraction. By now she’d searched high and low; Rourke wasn’t at the Celestial, but he had to be  _somewhere_ , and she’d move heaven and earth to find him. A sabre-toothed cat? Such a beast would be sorry if it tried to stand in her way. Without so much as a word to the others, she slipped her lithe body through the bars of the gate, only turning when Lila piped up her concerns.

“I got you back to the resort alive. You’re welcome. But now I’ve got things to do.”

Taylor stepped forward, her eyes pleading… sad. “Estela… Be careful.”

Again, she’d taken her by surprise, expecting her to ask her to stay. Estela looked her in the eyes and nodded _._ “I will, Taylor. Stay here. It’s safe at the resort.”

Before anyone could protest, she slunk into the shadows of the dense forest. No more distractions. Estela wasn’t quite sure where she was going, but there had to be clues somewhere nearby. If the resort had proved fruitless, she’d have to move outwards until she had something more solid to go on. Away from the noise of the other students, she was alone with the rage that powered her forwards.   _I’m coming for you, son of a bitch._

* * *

_Taylor dragged her swimsuit off over wet skin, her pale body painted with the shimmering colours that surrounded them as more of it was exposed to an entranced Estela. And then the pretty blonde was naked before her, reaching out her hand to her until they came together, kissing, grasping, caressing, babbling their mutual adoration between moans of pleasure._

Extremely flushed, Estela awoke in her makeshift shelter. Her initial response was shame. She had no right to think of Taylor like that- she barely knew the woman, after all. But it was just so vivid…  _real_ , as though she was recalling a memory with all of her senses. Of course… of course Taylor had been on her mind almost constantly- it was damn near driving her crazy- but that didn’t explain why the dream… almost didn’t feel like a dream at all. Yes, she’d thought about how it might be to… to feel her kiss. It was just stupid,  _foolish_ fantasy, a fantasy of something that had no place in Estela’s life. Even as she tried to get back to sleep, the images refused to leave her mind’s eye. Heat prickled at the back of her neck and between her legs. Her body pulsed with want, a desire that she refused to accept and yet still could not hold back.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

This was a disaster. Two days alone searching for clues, and there was no trace of Rourke. If he’d been on La Huerta, it looked horribly as though he’d simply vanished with everyone else. So, what was she supposed to do next? All this time, and the only clue she’d found was that note. If Rourke might be after Taylor, maybe… maybe Estela’s best hope of getting to him was to stick close to her? No… she  _had_ to keep away. To be near to Estela was to be in mortal danger; and too many, too fucking many people had died. Not her. Not Taylor.

_You’re scared of her._

There was so little that Estela was scared of these days. She’d fully accepted that her life would be short and violent. If it brought about the destruction of a great evil, her loss would be worth it. Physical pain was nothing, nothing compared to what that bastard had already done to her. Dying didn’t frighten her, but perhaps… feeling… living… actually loving another person after keeping the world at a distance all these years… perhaps that did. She was scared of the way Taylor’s smile made her stomach fill with butterflies. Of the way she just wanted to look into those blue eyes and know the depths of her soul. Of how it would destroy her if Rourke snuffed out the dim but courageously glowing light that Taylor had brought into her life. She was scared of being so fallibly human that she could fall for someone. She couldn’t afford to be human…

 _She’s already in danger. They’re_ all  _in danger here. You could… I can’t!_

Then there were voices. Close.

_For fuck’s sake! What part of ‘stay at the hotel’ was too difficult to understand?_

She didn’t need this… she  _really_ didn’t need this… There wasn’t the time for her to babysit those idiots, stumbling around in the dark like chickens with their heads chopped off. It wasn’t as if they  _remotely_ trusted her anyway… except for… - but it didn’t matter. If they had no sense of self-preservation, that wasn’t Estela’s problem. Was she supposed to march them back to the Celestial over and over again until the message sunk in? Besides, she’d already put her own life on the line for Taylor; jeopardising everything she’d come here for. She didn’t want those morons hurt, but stopping Rourke was so much bigger than them. But then, of course… Rourke. If he might be after Taylor, if she was a key to whatever he’d been planning… Estela couldn’t just…  _leave her_ … roaming the island, vulnerable. Unsure, she walked out in the general direction of the sound of the other students. If she just kept an ear out, made sure they didn’t blunder into danger, it couldn’t hurt, could it?

The voices became shouts… screams.

_Taylor…_

Her grip tightening around her homemade spear, Estela broke into a run. Reason be damned, she couldn’t let them be killed… couldn’t let Taylor… Those fools needed protection, they needed guidance, they needed her instinct for survival. And maybe, that quiet persistent voice in her head ventured, maybe she needed them. Or even… just maybe… maybe she needed…  _her_.


End file.
